unicorn cafe
by AGENT Kuma-chan
Summary: Eri's hair was made, her dress was pretty, and face scrubbed clean per Aizawa's orders. Now she was ready for a day out with Izuku and Mirio and the sweetest food she could imagine.


**Title:** unicorn cafe

 **Character/Pairing:** Eri, Izuku, Mirio

 **A/N:** Written for the Bnha BB. : ) A little late in posting because I was sick but here it is now.

 **Summary:** _Eri's hair was made, her dress was pretty, and face scrubbed clean per Aizawa's orders. Now she was ready for a day out with Izuku and Mirio._

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"Hold still," Aizawa demanded, shaking the hairbrush threateningly. His other hand was on Eri's shoulder, pulling her to the back of her chair.

"Got it!" she chirped determinedly as she squirmed into position. There was a pause and then she felt a fine-toothed comb run through her locks. One stroke. Two strokes. Three strokes. Her feet itched to tap to the beat but he repeated his warning. Concentrating, she tried to still her legs as Aizawa combed her hair. A quick peek at the clock and she saw that the big hand was almost at the eleven. They would be here soon.

They would be here soon. The thought repeated in her head and suddenly she had too much energy. Her fingers started to tap her thighs, her toes needed to wiggle—a soft tug of her hair and she remembered she had to stay still.

"Kids." Aizawa sighed, clicking his teeth. Despite his tone, his hands were gentle and she closed her eyes as he braided her locks. His movements were deft and self-assured and it wasn't long before he released her. "There we go, now you're done."

He came around her chair to face her, eyeing her critically. "Good enough."

"Done yet?" Nejire poked her head through the door to the teacher's lounge. Spotting Eri, a surprised gasp escaped her lips and she skipped over to the pair. Her long hair floated around her as she moved, a princess at work, and she beamed brightly. "Hey, you're so pretty!"

"Th-thank you." A blink and all of a sudden Nejire's face was so close their noses brushed. There were stars in Nejire's eyes, and Eri stared into them for a long moment before noticing her proximity. Flustered, she gripped the edges of her dress as the older girl studied her hair. Nejire was definitely a princess.

"Hey, hey, I know what you're missing." Deftly, she pulled out the star clip that pinned her bangs, releasing her hair so it curled around her face messily. Her fingers nimbly pressed against Eri's hair and she automatically closed her eyes until she heard a soft click. "There, you're perfect!"

Opening an eye, she saw that Nejire had backed away. Her hand tentatively reached up to touch the clip. The metal was warm. "Perfect?"

"Perfect." Nejire nodded sagely. Looking back at the door, she gestured for someone to come in. "Hey, Mirio! Your date is ready!"

Eri followed her gaze to the door where Tamaki and Mirio stood. Just like Nejire, Tamaki was still in his school uniform while Mirio sported a pair of jeans and a red and white striped shirt. Neither of them wore armour but Eri knew without a doubt that they were Nejire's knights. Every princess had one. This one was so special she had _two._ Tamaki gingerly waved at her, almost hunching into himself as they all looked at him.

Catching her eye, Mirio beamed brightly. "Hi!"

"H-Hi!" Eri jumped off the chair. The big hand on the clock had finally reached eleven and she bounced on her feet. It was time, it was finally time. Quickly, she smoothed her overall-dress. She still wasn't used to the jean fabric, it was very different from her usual dresses, but she liked the feel of it beneath her fingers. There was something solid about it, dependable.

"Hey, hey," Nejire bent over, squinting at Eri's chest. "Is that a rainbow on your shirt?"

"Yes!" Giddy, Eri tried to tug out more her white shirt from beneath the overalls. At the very least, she wanted to show off the star too. "I picked it myself."

"You have good fashion sense." Nejire gave her a thumbs up, a broad grin on her face. After a moment, she tilted her head and tapped her chin. "Rainbow…hey, hey, doesn't that match the place you're going to?"

Before Eri could ask where that was, Tamaki glared at Nejire. "Don't."

"Oh, right, that's a surprise." Turning to her friend, she gestured at Eri. "What do you think?"

Surprised, Tamaki stared at Eri for a full five seconds before backing away, shaking his head slightly. His eyes darted to and fro and he seemed to almost shrink before their eyes. "She…she wouldn't want my opinion."

" 'course she does!" Nejire turned to her. "Hey, hey, don't you wanna know?"

Eagerly, she nodded quickly, staring up at him with curious eyes. What would the knight say?

If possible, he shrank even more, his ears turning beat red. His hands covered his face and from between the cracks, she could hear a faint, "She looks cute."

"Hey, hey, what was that?" Nejire bounced on her feet, giving Tamaki a light punch on the shoulder.

Before Nejire could add anything else, Mirio came in between the pair. He hunched down slightly as he asked Eri, "Alright, ready to go?"

"Not yet," Aizawa answered for her, crouching in front of her. Edges of the rainbow could still be seen from where she had yanked her shirt and with a frown, he straightened up her top. "I'd get in trouble if I let you leave looking like that."

"Hey, that's not the reason, is it?" Nejire rocked on her feet as she questioned the teacher. "How much trouble?"

"Nejire." If left to her own devices, Nejire could jump from question to question all day. Halting her line of thought, Tamaki grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the teacher's lounge. "Not now."

"…booo…" Her protest noted, she gave in and followed Tamaki out. She waved at Eri with her free hand before she disappeared out the door. "Have fun!"

There was a moment of silence after, the void after a hurricane hits. Eri watched the door, half expecting her return. "She's really pretty."

Mirio chuckled, nodding his head in agreement. "Yes she is! She won the beauty pageant this year."

"Ohhhhh…" Just like a true princess. She lightly touched the clip in her hair. Now she had a little of that princess magic on her as well.

"She was a little too excited for today." Mirio glanced at Aizawa to confirm they were done. When the older man nodded, he held out his hand to Eri. "Ready?"

"Yes!" Without a trace of hesitation, she grabbed it. Looking over her shoulder, she waved goodbye to Aizawa. "Bye!"

"Be back before five." Aizawa wasn't even looking at them anymore, now sitting at his desk and shuffling papers.

"Got it!" Mirio exited the room, Eri following after.

They walked down the school hallways, heading to the stairs. Eri gripped his hand tightly and looked around the near-empty school. "Where's Izuku?"

"He's at the gates." Mirio chuckled. The vibrations of it reached her hand, and she could almost touch his amusement. "He overslept. He kept thinking about today and couldn't sleep a wink until dawn."

"Oh." Eri stared at the ground. Disappointment coloured her voice. "If…if he's tired, we can go another time."

"No, no," he responded firmly, shaking his head as they descended the staircase. His voice echoed faintly in the narrow space. "Definitely not, he wants to do this. I want to do this. You want to go too, right?"

"Yes," she admitted slowly, peeking up at Mirio. His smile was blinding and embarrassed, she averted her gaze.

"Then we're going."

They were at the school doors now and he temporarily let go of her hand as they changed shoes. Along with the dress, she had received a new pair of sneakers. The shoes were lighter than her boots, so much easier to run around in. The only problem was the strap. Boots didn't have it. Kneeling, Eri yanked the straps tight like Aizawa had shown her. They were stiff, barely giving way. Eventually, she pushed them into submission and stood up proudly.

"All set?" Mirio held out his hand once more and she nodded as she grabbed it. As they exited the building, she squinted against the sunlight as her eyes adjusted to the brightness. It was warm outside, the fall sun shining brightly as they crossed the school grounds. As they approached the school entrance, Mirio pointed ahead of them. Leaning against the school gate, Izuku was quickly reading his notes, flipping from page to page at the speed of light. "Izuku!"

"Hi." Briefly, he looked up at the pair and then back to his notes. A second passed and then his head snapped back up to them. Quickly, he stuffed the papers into his pockets. His cheeks flushed a light red. "Eri!"

"Hi!" She let go of Mirio's hand and dashed over to Izuku. When she reached him, she stopped and twirled around. "Do you like my hair? Aizawa-sensei did it!"

"Wow!" Izuku smiled before freezing. Taken aback, he gaped and stared at her hair. Looking at Mirio for confirmation, he repeated, "Aizawa-sensei did?"

"With a little help from Nejire." Having caught up, he pointed at the star in Eri's hair proudly. "What do you think?"

Recovering quickly, Izuku gave her a thumbs-up. "You look amazing!"

"Yay!" It was like she was filled with bubbles. Eri couldn't stop bouncing as they walked. Mirio liked it and Izuku liked it and she was going to have an entire afternoon with them. An entire afternoon with just the three of them!

As they left the school grounds, Izuku and Mirio held out their hands. "Ready, Eri?"

Their big hands soon engulfed hers, their warmth radiating to her bones. As she walked between them, she glanced up at each one. There was something familiar about this, about this feeling, about this action. She knew the word for this, once. Long ago, before the bad things happened.

"Eri?" Concerned, Izuku peered down at her. "Is something wrong?"

But she didn't know the word, not anymore and she kept silent about it. Shaking her head, she asked instead, "Where are we going?"'

"It's a café nearby," Mirio answered eagerly. He wore a striped shirt and Eri vaguely recalled seeing a book about a stripped man and having to find him on every page. "Have you been to one?"

A café. Eri considered the word, rolling it in her mind, but she wasn't quite sure what it meant. "No."

"You'll love it," he promised, jutting his jaw out his toward Izuku. "He picked it."

Caught unawares, Izuku's skin flushed a deep red. Nodding quickly, he pulled out the papers he had been reading before. "I asked everyone in class and compiled a list of the best places. This one won. It's highly recommended by all the girls in my class." Rambling on, he gave Eri a glimpse of the surveys. One of them looked a little scorched, like the writer hadn't wanted to respond.

"Girls," Eri repeated. She remembered, faintly, two other girls the day they saved her. The same age as Izuku. They had been kind, she remembered. "Are they coming too?"

Izuku blinked, surprised. "No, not this time—unless you want them to? I could call them."

Eri bit her lip, considering it. She liked the kind girls. Their hands were as warm as Izuku's but she didn't know them. It scared her a little. Biting her lip, she slowly shook her head.

"No?" Mirio confirmed, squeezing her head gently. "Then that's fine!"

"It's fine?" she asked, looking at up at him for confirmation.

"More than fine!" Mirio beamed down at her and she tightened her grip on his hand gratefully.

It didn't take long before they stopped at the entrance of a building. Eri gazed up at the glass windows, stained with the image of an elegant white horse. A horn jutted out of its forehead—was he hurt? It had to hurt, right? Did the other horses hate him?

She could still feel the small bump on her own forehead, the horn that just wouldn't fully vanish. Despite her hair curtaining it, it was like having a target. Everyone could see it, she was sure. Everyone could see it and know just what she did, just what she could do. Was that horse like that?

Before she could ask, Mirio let go of her hand and held open the door. "This is it," Mirio announced, bouncing back and forth on his heels. "Unicorn Café."

She took an uneasy step forward. "Unicorn café?"

"Don't worry, they don't get many customers at this time." Izuku smiled at her, assuring her when she hesitated at the threshold. With his encouragement, she scrunched her face determinedly and took a step in.

A wall of sound, of smells hit her. Eri wasn't sure she knew enough words to describe it all, to understand just what she was experiencing. Something fresh and sweet lingered in the air and the soft sound of music surrounded her. It was a quiet, soothing sound, the words so faint she could barely hear it.

It was overwhelming and she stood there for a few minutes just soaking it all. Izuku fidgeted next to her as she took in everything. Images of horned horses were everywhere—painted frolicking in meadows on the walls, on light fixtures, even the food at the counter seemed to match. It was pretty, so very pretty.

Finally, unable to wait any longer, he asked, "Do you like it?"

There was only one possible answer. Eri nodded happily, raising her arms out wide to gesture at the place. "I love it!"After a moment's thought, she lightly tugged on his hand. "What is it?"

"That's great—" Izuku froze mid-sentence. " _What is it_?"

Expectantly, she looked up at him.

"It's…uh…" Flushing red, he started to make funny hand gestures as he tried to explain. He almost started to flip through his notes before realizing it was pointless. "It's…a place you can—"

"Do you remember the fair?" Mirio cut in, saving his friend. He closed the door behind him and stood next to the pair.

Eri nodded.

"Remember all the good food?" He asked next, his grin broadening if possible. Excitement rolled off him in waves and Eri could feel herself getting more and more energetic just by looking at him.

She nodded even quicker, her entire body shaking with the motion.

Mirio paused dramatically before announcing, "This place also has a lot of good food."

"Ohhhh." Looking at the place with new eyes, Eri gaped in awe. She could still taste the food from the stalls, better than anything she had ever been served before. If this place was anything like that, then she _really_ couldn't wait.

Mirio chuckled before motioning toward the counter nearby. "Are you hungry?"

She was almost vibrating from the speed she nodded. Looking around, she noticed most of the store was empty, with only a few tables and chairs filled here and there. Picking the closest one to her, she clambered on it, remembering what happened the last time Aizawa-sensei had taken her out for food. In a few minutes, someone would come with a menu and they could pick food and—

"Uh, Eri?" Izuku called out awkwardly, snapping her out of her thoughts. Facing him once more, she realized that neither he nor Mirio had moved yet. "We go to the counter to order here."

Eri cocked her head, bemused. "No menu?"

"The menu's at the counter," Izuku explained, pointing behind him. Examining the wall behind him, Eri noticed a black sign with words and numbers on it covering the top half of the wall. There was yet another drawing of the horned horse on it, his fur in all the colours of the rainbow.

"Oh!" A little embarrassed, she hopped off the stool and followed them to the counter. There was a glass case there, filled with more food than she could name. Tentatively, she approached it. Neither Mirio nor Izuku said anything. A little bolder, she pressed her face to the glass. Still, they said nothing and she studied the food on the other side. There were a few she recognized, such as cupcakes, cakes, and chocolate. There was something that looked like a giant square of chocolate and another that looked like a cookie with filling on it. Even the top of the counter was filled with sweets, jars upon jars of them. They were brightly coloured and Eri licked her lips.

For a moment, she remembered listening to stories about the witch's house, the sweet home that fattened children up.

"Can I get you something?" A soft voice hissed, and Eri jumped back.

Looking up, she spotted a snake-person on the other side of the counter. She had a shock of red hair, almost like a wig, and her tongue flipped. A witch! Scared by her eerie yellow eyes, Eri ducked behind Mirio's legs. "W-who—"

"It's ok!" Mirio stroked her hair, crouching down to her height. "It's ok."

"I have that affect on a lot of people. Ssssorrry." Eri peeked out and peered up at the snake-girl, her expression unapologetic. There was something stiff about the way she held herself, the tone she spoke with.

Trying to smooth things over, Izuku held out his hand. "You're Asui's friend right? She suggested we come here."

"Asssui?" Immediately, the snake girl perked up, almost smiling. Eri watched, fascinated. Smiling. People who smiled like that couldn't possibly be bad. Even if she still looked a little scary, she couldn't be a witch. "Sssshhe sssent you?"

"Yes." Izuku rubbed the back of his neck. "She said she'd come next weekend."

"Sssshee did?" The snake-girl's smile was even broader now, hints of white teeth peeking out from between her reptilian lips. "That'sss…" Then, as though remembering herself, she stopped smiling. "What are you getting?"

"Huh?" Izuku blinked, flabbergasted by the sudden tone change. "Oh right, uh…." He trailed off and looked down at her. "What do you want?"

"I…" Eri stared at the food. There were so many choices, so many things to try. Even more things she didn't know the name of and could only point at. The colours memorized her and her eyes darted from one to the next.

"Hard, right?" Still crouched next to her, Mirio laughed as he gestured at the display case. "Everything looks so good!"

"Yes!" A little more seriously now, she went over each item. There was a price tag next to them and she glanced at Izuku and Mirio. They'd have to pay for this. Money was hard to get and they'd have to pay for it. Steeling her resolve, she pointed at the chocolate chip cookies, the cheapest item she could find. "That."

"The cookies?" Studying them for a moment, Mirio looked back at her. His tone was gentle as he asked, "Are you sure that's all?"

No, not at all. Swallowing, she nodded. "Yes."

Izuku frowned deeply. Pointing at the cakes, he asked, "Are you sure you don't want one?"

Quickly, she shook her head. Her hands gripped the edge of her overalls, digging into the fabric. "I'm fine."

"Alright." Mirio stood up, smiling. He hunched over, stretching his knees for a moment before standing straight. "We'll get a chocolate chip cookie then."

"Huh?" Izuku gaped, eyes wide as he turned to his senior. "That's it?"

Ignoring his protests, Mirio added, "I'll get brownies, strawberry cheesecake, a chocolate croissant, and macrons."There was a sly smirk on his face, something Eri didn't quite understand. "You?"

Izuku stared at Mirio for a long moment before a soft _oh_ escaped his lips. Turning to the counter, he overeagerly pointed at several items in the display case. "I'll have all of those!"

"That much?" Amazed, Eri gazed up at her hero. How could he fit it all? She patted her own belly. When she grew up, would she eat as much?

"No—yes—uh…." Nervous, Izuku ran through almost every iteration of a response before hanging his head. "Today, yes."

It depended on the day? Eri squinted at his belly. Could he eat more on other days? "Wow!"

"Yeah, wow." Izuku turned back to the snake-girl. "That's all."

"You ssuurreee?" Her tone wasn't biting, despite her words and sharp smile. "You might have missssed a few thingssss."

Turning a bright red, Izuku shook his head frantically. "I—I don't—I'm good."

"Nice work!" Laughing, Mirio punched his shoulder before heading to the till. "I'll pay for everything."

"What?" Izuku patted his pockets before pulling out his wallet. "I can cover my share."

"I'm your senior, let me do it!" Mirio insisted, pulling out several bills and waving them in the air. Winking, he added, "Aizawa-sensei gave me some cash."

"That's not really…treating..." Hesitantly, Izuku rebuked him, biting his lip

"That's true!" Mirio cheerfully responded, not looking at all ashamed. "I'll grab everything, go get a table."

Izuku hunched over, his hands on his knees, as he faced Eri. "Let's sit?" When she nodded, he straightened and then led the way back to the table she had claimed earlier.

Gripping the edge of the seat, Eri clambered on it. Her feet swung once she settled in, unable to reach the ground. It was almost like being on a swing, though she wasn't moving anywhere. In a few minutes, Mirio returned, the tray in his arms laden with plates of food and three glasses. He placed a glass in front of each of them and Eri stared at the brightly coloured drink in amazement. "What is it?"

"It's a unicorn slushie," Mirio explained as he handed her a plastic spoon.

"I'll help!" Izuku stood up quickly, grabbing the plates before Mirio could wave him off. He set them down with a soft clatter and Eri stared at the desserts and baked goods in awe. They all smelled so good! The plates were very cute, brightly coloured flowers on the white plastic.

"Thanks!" Sitting down himself, Mirio gazed over the spread in front of him. "What are you going to eat first, Eri?"

"My cookie?" Eri asked, not understanding the question as she scanned the table only to find it in the very center of the table. Before she could stand on her chair to grab it, Izuku moved it closer to her.

"There you go." Izuku pulled a brownie closer as well. "Wanna try it?"

It was a big brownie, a light brown square that smelled heavenly. Her belly grumbled slightly as she slowly shook her head. "It's yours."

"I want to share." Izuku pushed the brownie closer.

Before she could refuse again, Mirio cut off a piece for himself. "If you can't finish it yourself, just say so!"

"You can't eat it?" Eri looked at the brownie once more. It was awfully big. As big as her hand, even. If Izuku couldn't eat it, then that was an entirely different matter. "I'll help!"

"That's—that's right!" With a strained smile, Izuku gestured helplessly at the cakes piled up in front of him. "I can't eat all of this, please help."

Eager, Eri stuck her spoon into the brownie, scooping out square. Chocolate burst into her mouth as she bit into the warm, airy sweet. Closing her eyes, she gave a delighted moan. "Yummy!"

"Very yummy!" Mirio nodded in agreement as he bit into his piece. Rubbing his chin, he scrutinized the desserts before pushing forward a plate of cheesecake. "Let's try this next!"

She didn't even wait this time for Izuku's approval. Almost a dozen more plates were pushed in front of Eri, allowing her to sink her mouth from one delicious bite to the next. Chocolate, vanilla, firm, soft—she sampled a variety of flavours, of textures. There were a few she hated, grimacing as she chewed. Izuku quietly moved those plates away, and he and Mirio efficiently finished them off.

Her drink sat in front of her, untouched, until Mirio pointed at it. "Thirsty?"

Now that he mentioned it, her throat was dry. Eri pulled the multi-coloured drink closer, leaning forward to stare at the very much divided layers. How did they stay like that? "What is it?"

"A unicorn slushie. Doesn't it match your shirt?" Mirio declared proudly, his questioning sounding more like a fact.

Looking down, she pulled the neck of her overall open to look at the shooting star on her shirt, a rainbow trailing behind it. Peering back her drink, her eyes widened in amazement. "They're the same!"

"Why is it called a unicorn slushie instead of a rainbow one?" Izuku mused, his brow furrowed. He softly muttered under his breath as he considered it. "The straw is the horn? Rainbows are sometimes associated with unicorns, but why is that the case?"

Before he could veer entirely off track, Mirio chided, "You're over thinking this."

"I'm n—" Izuku glanced at Eri, who was staring at him with wide, curious eyes, and his shoulders slumped. "I am."

"I like listening!" Eri gave him an encouraging smile. "It's funny!"

"Funny?" If anything, Izuku wilted a little more. "I see."

After looking at her drink once again, Eri tugged his shirt. "What's a unicorn?"

"That's a—" Izuku dug into the brownie now, carefully carving out a small piece. Once he understood her question, he snapped his head back to her. "A unicorn?"

"No wonder you reacted like that!" Mirio smacked his forehead. He laughed as he leaned back and shook his head. "We skipped step one!"

"I should have asked you about it." Izuku sighed and slumped forward, hanging his head. After a moment, he perked back up. Fired up, he confidently gestured at the painted horned horses on the wall. "That is a unicorn." When she didn't react, still looking at him expectantly, Izuku's smile waned and he rubbed his arm self consciously. "It's a…a…a horse. A magical horse."

"Magic?" Eri gasped, amazed. Horses could have magic too? Did all animals have magic? Eyes wide, she leaned forward. "Like what?"

"Like…uh…" Izuku scratched his cheek, thinking hard about it. Pondering it, he frowned deeply. "What do unicorns do?"

"Magic—they're like doctors!" Mirio took over for Izuku immediately. "They can heal people.

"Wow! They'e all doctors!" Eri bounced in her seat, images of horses dressed in white lab coats in her head. Staring at the pattern on the walls, she added nervously, "People won't hurt them right?"

"No! Absolutely no!" Izuku waved his hands frantically in front of him. "People love them!"

"So they're ok?" Eri lightly touched her own horn, more of a bump now than anything else. "People like them?"

"People love them," Mirio corrected, ruffling her hair. "Unicorns are amazing."

Amazing. Despite the horn. No, _because_ of the horn. She thought about it for a moment. "I want to see one."

"See…one…" Izuku blanched, frantically looking at Mirio. "That might be…"

"A great idea!" Mirio nodded in agreement. "We can go and search for one next time! Who knows where they might be."

"Mirio!" Izuku paled and he glanced at the excited Eri. "Are you sure—"

"It's fine!" Mirio took out a napkin and doodled on the back, creating a small map of the school grounds. "We can search all over, every weekend even."

If possible, Izuku grew even whiter. Eri tried not to laugh—he looked like a ghost, almost, with the way his hands shook. Maybe ghosts had magic too? Eager, she clambered up onto her seat to examine Mirio's map. After a verifying that it looked good, she peeked up. "Every weekend?"

Steamrolling right over his junior, Mirio gave Eri a thumb's up. "It'll be a lot of fun! We can go to many different places."

"Yay!" Eri almost jumped out her seat, excited already.

Realizing he couldn't fight this, Izuku swallowed and nodded. He took the map, stroking his chin as he considered it. "Ok, I'll figure out where we can look—do they like forests or are cities fine or maybe—"

"You really have a plan for everything!" Amazed, Mirio laughed. Then he glanced at his phone and sighed, his shoulders slumping. "But not today, we have to go."

"It's already time?" Surprised, Izuku looked at his own phone to confirm. He rubbed his neck as he read the digits. "Oh."

"Already?" Eri gazed sadly at the piles of half-eaten snacks around her. Her belly felt ten times bigger, and she rubbed it. Maybe they could roll her home; her belly felt like it could burst.

"He's right." Izuku gave her a helpless smile. Nervously, he leaned forward and asked, "Did you have fun?"

Eri bounced eagerly. "Yes!" She spread her arms out, as if to envelop the area. "Cafes are amazing! Let's come again!"

It didn't take long for them to leave, stacking up plates as they cleared the table. Izuku almost tripped, his stack toppling before the snake girl swiftly ran over and steadied the plates. "Be careful."

"Sorry!" Flustered, he started to bow and the stack swayed in his hands.

"It'ssss fine!" She kept her hands firm on the plates, glaring at him. "Don't bow!"

Eri giggled—the snake girl was definitely not scary at all. She even took half of Izuku's plates with her. Beaming brightly, Eri waved when they'd finished cleaning. "Bye bye!"

"Wait a sssecond." The snake girl pulled open a drawer, pulling out a rainbow coloured lollipop. "Here."

Eri stared at it. "Huh?"

"It'sssss yourssss." Insistent, she pushed it into Eri's hands. "Take it."

"Ohhh, nice flavour." Mirio licked his lips. "I wonder what a rainbow tastes like?"

"A rainbow…" Eri slowly peeled off the wrapper, plopping the lollipop in her mouth. As it turned out, it didn't taste like much, more of a creamy, sweet flavour. After giving it a long, hard suck, she gave her final report to Mirio. "Sugar milk."

"Sugar milk." Mirio nodded seriously, turning to Izuku. "It'll be useful when we're finding unicorns, they like rainbows."

"We're actually doing that?" Izuku pulled out his paper, scribbling the note down anyways as they exited the shop.

Once more, the trio set off, Eri sandwiched between them as they held her hands. She looked up at Izuku and Mirio, at their profiles as they walked, at their joined hands. She remembered this sensation long ago, this feeling of home, this idea of family. Sometimes, she used to spy other families walking with their children like this, swinging them while they smiled and laughed. Her parents must have done that too, once. The sensation still tingled in her fingertips. A ghost of a memory she'd almost forgotten.

Yet it wasn't gone, not anymore. Family. The word rolled in her mouth like the lollipop she was sucking. She had Izuku and she had Mirio and maybe, just maybe, she had Aizawa and Princess Nejire. And they weren't her family but maybe they could be.

They were holding her hands, after all. Their skin was warm in hers, their hold light, and even now they were smiling down at her. Family. This was what families did. Did they want to be her family—would they become her—Eri wasn't brave enough to ask about it yet. The words froze in her, like the sticky sweet taffy they ate earlier.

"Eri?" Izuku smiled nervously at her. "Want to do this again?"

"Yes!" Eri beamed happily at him.

Perhaps she couldn't ask yet, but one day, one day she would.


End file.
